Our customer base has a sweet tooth.  There is just no doubt about it.  A good number of the people that come into our winery like their wine a little to a lot sweet.  Now, don’t get me wrong, we have people that want the really dry wine also, but a good portion like it sweet.

So, what’s wrong with that?  Nothing, as far as I am concerned.  Oh, some will tell you that sweet wines are lower quality, or not as sophisticated as dry wines, and maybe for the most part that is true.  If you have read this blog for awhile you have seen my favorite phrase “Drink what you like”.  I firmly believe that drinking wine for pleasure and drinking wine for analysis are two different things (and something I will talk more about in the next blog entry). 

I enjoy a sweet wine now and again myself.  The key in any wine is balance.  Just like a dry wine that has too much oak, or is too light, or too high in alcohol, a sweet wine that is out of balance is no fun to drink.  In most cases this means that who ever has made the wine has made it sweet for the sake of being sweet, (and probably to sell a few more bottles), not sweet to achieve an overall balance.  Usually what that means is that it is sickly sweet, so much so that the sweet taste overrides everything else. 

When I enjoy a sweeter wine what I look for is the ability to taste some subtle characters through the sweetness.  When I taste, I want to get the fruitiness, the personality, a delicate richness, maybe even some tannic feel, through the sweet taste.  If the wine feels like I just put a piece of sweet hard candy in my mouth, or as some would say, like I am “drinking cool aid”, than it is probably not something I am going to enjoy very much.

If you shy away from drier wines, then the process of trying to appreciate a good sweet wine may also help you start to appreciate the other kinds of wines a little more.  Again, not that enjoying a sweet wine is a bad thing, but there is a vast world of really good wines out there, and if all you are drinking is the sweet stuff, than you are missing out on something really good. 

By the way, the same thing can be said of those who drink nothing but the dry wines.  I recommend branching out a little to see what else is available, and what else you might enjoy.

My goal as a winemaker is to produce a variety of wines that give a chance for everyone to find something they like, and to experience something that may be a little outside their comfort zone.  At the same time, I want every wine to have a balance and subtlety and to provide an opportunity to experience a fine wine be it sweet or dry.  I want everyone to be able to find the same joy I find in wine, no matter what style they like.

So, tell me how I am doing?  Are you finding what you like?